BLM to Begin Wild Horse Gather in Western Nevada

Carson City, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District will begin the Flanigan, Dogskin Mountain, and Granite Peak Wild Horse Gather on Wed., Jan. 18. The gather is expected to take about five days.

The BLM will remove approximately 283 excess wild horses, and will treat and release approximately 22-36 mares from the Flanigan Herd Management Area (HMA) with PZP, a fertility control vaccine. These three HMAs are about 30 miles northeast of Reno, Nev., in Washoe County.

The purpose of the gather is to reduce the herd populations to within the appropriate management levels (AML) and to implement population growth controls to achieve or maintain a thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands.

Public lands will remain open during gather operations, subject to necessary safety restrictions. The public is welcome to attend the gathers and are encouraged to RSVP their attendance at 775-885-6000, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A Wild Horse Gather Information Line has been set up at 775-885-6101 with a recorded message on daily gather activities and updated gather schedule. The BLM will regularly post gather information on its website at: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field.html under “Wild Horse Gathers.”

Excess wild horses will be transported to the Palomino Valley Wild Horse Adoption Center, located about 20 miles north of Sparks, Nev. Gathered wild horses will be prepared for adoption under the BLM’s adoption program. Wild horses for which there is no adoption demand will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (Act). The BLM does not sell or send any horses to slaughter.

The BLM works closely with the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s (NDOA) Brands Division during wild horse removals across the State. NDOA Brand Inspectors must verify the animals are excess wild horses and burros as defined by the Act. Once verified, the Brand Inspector will provide the BLM a certificate to transport the animals. Without this cooperation and coordination, the BLM would not be able to remove the excess wild horses and burros which, if not removed in a timely manner, would result in degradation of our native rangelands. The NDOA also may take jurisdiction of any estray, branded or abandoned domestic horse(s) under the State of Nevada estray laws.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.